


Falling in Love at a Christmas Party

by NebulousDream



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Christmas Party, Fluff, Implied Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-26
Updated: 2015-12-26
Packaged: 2018-05-09 10:29:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5536508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NebulousDream/pseuds/NebulousDream
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Bokuto family throws an extravagant Christmas party. Akaashi Keiji is just a friend of a friend, who was coerced into going. Bokuto Koutarou thinks he is a Christmas miracle.</p>
<p>(Not much substance here, mostly fluff; Merry Christmas!)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Falling in Love at a Christmas Party

**Author's Note:**

> College age, alternate AU where they haven't met before, I'm sorry this is probably just as typical as you expect it to be.

“I’m not going to go.”

“Come on, you _really_ need to get out of your flat, Akaashi-kun,” Sugawara Koushi was standing opposite of his friend and former roommate, Akaashi Keiji, trying to use his world-changing puppy-dog pleading eyes attempting to win Akaashi over. “Besides, it’s a party. You can just people watch if you want. But you have to get out of here, Akaashi, it’s depressing for you.”

“I’m not depressed,” he pushed. Akaashi really, _really_ didn’t like Christmas parties. To him, they were filled with weird, drunk people and even weirder sober people who were only looking to get a good score. This was especially true for _college_ Christmas parties. Everyone sensible was home for Christmas, if they could afford it, but anyone left behind turned out to be a motley crew of lonely scrubs looking for some holiday action. Sugawara meant well, Akaashi knew, but if there was one thing he wanted to avoid over winter break, it was Christmas parties. “Can’t you ask _anyone_ else to be your plus one?”

“Daichi’s vacationing in Sapporo all winter, and Asahi went to his family in Miyagi for Christmas,” Sugawara explained, looking a little sheepish. “Oikawa was already invited, and you were the next person I thought of. Please?”

Akaashi had a hard time saying no to Sugawara. He’d done a lot as a senpai to him in this first year of college. They’d become quite good friends, and honestly, Akaashi was flattered to have been invited. He considered his options briefly: he could either stay home, alone, and potentially binge Christmas movies and order Chinese takeout, or he could suck it up and go with Sugawara to this Christmas party, and probably at least eat something that isn’t General Tso’s chicken.

_Ah, what the hell._

“What’s the dress code?”

Sugawara pumped his fist in the air, victorious and grinning from ear to ear. “Yes! Thank you, Akaashi! Let’s go pick something out for you to wear.”

-:-

Akaashi still definitely hated Christmas parties. However, this one had proven to be slightly more tolerable than most. _Slightly._

The party was being thrown by someone named Bokuto, and it was actually at his _house._ It wasn’t a friends-only party, it was actually for friends and family. The party itself was _huge,_ which was fitting, because Akaashi was pretty sure that with any less than 50 people, the Bokuto family house would feel like an empty warehouse. There was endless garland wrapped around the railings of the stairwell, wall-to-wall wreaths, and a few branches of rogue mistletoe (Akaashi took note to avoid them). There was at least one tree in every room, whether it was real or fake or simply a small wire table centerpiece. Whoever the Bokuto family was, they were _incredibly_ passionate about their Christmas decorating. And their parties, apparently. Everyone around them was dressed in varying degrees of Christmas attire– some people came in button-down shirts and vests, but others were rocking the most offensive Christmas sweaters they could find. Akaashi himself showed up in something he felt was modest– a white button-down and gold bow tie. Sugawara was on the other end of the spectrum, wearing a garish grey sweater with gold tinsel wrapped all around it. On the front, he had attached silver bells in the shape of a Christmas tree; overall, he was a very noisy walking partner. Right upon walking in, someone with rich brown hair walked up to Sugawara, a friend (presumably their plus one) in tow.

“Suga-chan~!” He singsonged. “Check out mine and Iwa-chan’s awesome Christmas sweaters! Aren’t we cute?” The sweaters in question were horrendous, though I suppose it was the season for things like that to have a certain charm. The brunette’s sweater was patterned with aliens in their respective spaceships, wearing Santa hats and beards. There were snowflakes, and even the phrase “Merry Christmas” knitted across the bottom. His friend, apparently “Iwa-chan,” had a sweater that was a little more typical in design. The colors were garish though: red on green made the designs almost hard to see.

“Yeah, Oikawa. You guys look great!” Sugawara was all smiles to Oikawa, laughing about their ridiculous sweaters with him. “Are you two going to enter the Ugly Sweater Contest?”

Oikawa beamed. “You bet we are!” Immediately, he deflated a little. “I don’t think we can beat out that Kuroo Tetsurou, though,” he huffed. “It’s completely unreasonable. He wins every year! How does he manage to get his hands on so many _atrocious_ Christmas sweaters?”

Sugawara shrugged. “Beats me. Hey, at least you’ve got more fashionable taste, right?”

This perked him back up again. He laughed, and it was one of the sweetest sounds Akaashi had ever heard come from a person who seemed so volatile. “I guess I am too fashionable to lose. Right, Iwa-chan?”

“I think saying that you’re fashionable is a bit of a stretch–”

_“Iwa-chan!”_

“We’ll see you around the party,” Sugawara waved, though it fell on deaf ears. The Christmas sweater pair had devolved into a good-natured quarrel over how fashionable (or not) Oikawa was. Sugawara led Akaashi away from the front door, giving him a micro-tour. “This is my third Christmas party with the Bokuto family. They’re all very sweet people. I’m sure you’ll meet Mrs. Bokuto soon enough, since she’s constantly floating around to refill the refreshments. You’ll know her when you see her, trust me,” Suga laughed, turning a corner into a large living area with the couches moved aside to make more floor space. “This is where most of the party activities happen, Ugly Sweater contest excluded. This is mostly for spin-the-bottle and White Elephant type games.”

“This is a lot,” Akaashi was in awe, feeling almost overwhelmed by the sheer amount of _Christmas_ happening around him.

“Such is the nature of the Bokuto family and their endless list of traditions to fulfill every year,” Sugawara chuckled. “You’ll get used to it soon.”

More than anything else, Akaashi was most struck by the quantities of food that were available in every room. Large tables of bite-sized snacks on one half, and the other filled with drinks (non-alcoholic). If you were in the mood for booze, the kitchen had an entire bar, complete with a bartender (likely one of the Bokuto family members) that would serve you something off of their Christmas-themed menu, or something else, if you weren’t quite up for being festive with your booze. He thought about what it would be like if he were to try one of everything, and he was already starting to feel bloated.

“I’m not sure,” Akaashi said warily.

Sugawara put his hand on Akaashi’s shoulder. “Seriously. I promise. Go mingle with people!”

“You said I could just people watch.”

He raised his hands in surrender. “Fine, fine,” He backed off. “You can be a wallflower, but you’ll want to mingle at least a little.” He paused, looking around– Akaashi assumed he was looking for other friends of his. Turning back to Akaashi, he asked, “Do you mind if I take off for a little while? Will you be alright?”

Akaashi nodded. “Yeah, of course. I’ll be around.”

Suga smiled– it was an award winning smile, and Akaashi almost had to look away because it was too bright. “Great!” He turned to walk away, but looked back at Akaashi, he added, “And, Akaashi? Make some friends!”

Akaashi nodded. He could make no promises, but he’d at least give Sugawara the impression that he would make an attempt. As Sugawara walked away, Akaashi considered his options. He could sit in a chair in the living space where a few people were gathered, but that would mean someone would definitely try to mingle with him. There was the bar, but he wasn’t in the mood to drink (not that it was legal for him, anyway). There was, however, a good spot close to one of the food tables that he could situate himself for a little while. Until he could either find someone or mingle further. Or, maybe until Sugawara came back to check on him.

Around him, the party continued. Akaashi found that he was enjoying himself quite a bit, watching the partygoers around him. He was close to a group of people playing some iteration of spin the bottle, but instead of kissing, they were serenading each other with brief excerpts of Christmas carols. The whole ordeal was rather ridiculous, Akaashi decided, and just as he was about to witness one boy with messy black hair serenade another boy with owlish hair, a smaller, older woman stepped in front of him.

“Pardon me, dear, I need to sneak past you for a second.”

“Oh, sure,” Akaashi moved to the side, turning to watch her. Her eyes were huge, and though she was definitely old, she had no sign of wrinkles on her face at all. Her hair looked like the owlish boy’s. Actually, owlish was a good way to describe this woman’s entire demeanor. The way she moved, her almost eerie attentiveness to the world around her… she seemed like a bird of prey, in human form. She was refilling the table with fresh refreshments when it hit Akaashi that this was the Mrs. Bokuto that Sugawara was telling him about.

“Are you having a good time?” She asked while setting out some fresh punch cups.

“Yeah, it’s… different,” he replied, thinking, _It’s a lot. There’s too much Christmas. I don’t know anyone._

“Why don’t you go talk to them?” She gestured with a long finger over to the messy-haired boy and his cohort, who were now singing loudly at each other while the rest of the (presumably drunken) crowd watched and laughed. “You’ve been watching them all night.”

Akaashi wanted to ask her how she knew that, but instead opted for a different avenue. “I’m not the type to mingle.”

“You don’t say?” She replied, nearly sounding sarcastic, but Akaashi couldn’t tell. “I’m telling you, go talk to them. They may look loopy, but I assure you, they’re entirely sober. They’re good kids. That one,” She pointed to the owlish-looking boy. “That’s my son, Koutarou. He’s technically the other host of the party. We’ve never seen you around here before, so it might be nice to introduce yourself.”

He seriously considered the older woman’s suggestion. It was true– he’d never attended a Bokuto family party, and it did feel a little rude, not introducing himself to the _host_ before now.

“I suppose I’ll go over.”

“Good! Don’t tell him I sent you– he doesn’t like it when I send people to him.”

Akaashi shook his head, chuckling a little. _This ought to be interesting._ As he made his way over to the couches, nobody made any move to talk to him. A few people were clearing out, the spin-the-bottle game having ended, and just the two who were bombastically serenading each other were left, talking casually now.

“Dude, Kuroo, your sweater is _insane_ this year, but have you seen Suga’s?” The owlish boy asked, eyes wide. “His is really something else. Do you think Sawamura made it for him?”

This made Kuroo throw his head back and laugh. “Absolutely. Sugawara has too much good taste to make something that hideous. I think my singing cats still have a shot, though!” As Akaashi moved to sit on the couches, Kuroo pressed a finger to the center of his chest. His sweater lit up and cats began to meow the melody of “Jingle Bells.” 

Koutarou laughed heartily, smacking Kuroo on the back. “Don’t worry, you’ve totally still got a shot at the prize. Head downstairs, okay? I’ll be there in a second!” Kuroo nodded, making way for a stairwell that led to what Akaashi could only assume was a basement. _Maybe that’s where the ugly sweater contest is being held,_ he thought to himself. He watched for a few minutes as Koutarou “cleaned up” (swept a lot of items to the side of the room), but then his gaze fell to Akaashi.

It stayed there for a solid minute. It felt like he was being analyzed; either that, or that Koutarou was in pure awe. Akaashi cleared his throat. “Um,” He tried to say something useful, but his throat wouldn’t let him.

“Uh… are you okay?” Koutarou asked, having shaken off his awe and now looking at Akaashi like he might have been completely plastered.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

Immediately, he looked relieved. “Oh, thank god you’re not drunk,” He sighed. “Sorry for assuming. I don’t think I know you, and a lot of strangers tend to come to these parties to mooch of the booze. I mean, not that I really care,” He relaxed into a large grin. “As long as it makes people happy, right? But I’m glad you’re not drunk! You’re too pretty to be wasted and alone on Christmas–” He stopped himself suddenly, cheeks turning bright red. “Uh. I’m Bokuto Koutarou.”

Akaashi stood from his perch on the couch and held out his hand. “Akaashi Keiji. I came with Sugawara.”

His face lit up at that. “Really?! That’s awesome!” He grabbed Akaashi’s hands with both of his own, shaking it firmly. “Well met, Akaashi!”

This guy had no concept of personal space, Akaashi was sure of it. He was so close, Akaashi could see the patterns in his eyes. If he were patient enough, he could probably count his eyelashes. Koutarou had a rather attractive visage, as far as Akaashi was concerned. His hair was on the wild side, spiking up with a gray-black blend of hairs that Akaashi couldn’t tell whether they were natural, dyed, and whether the spiking was styled or not. He really did look like an owl, though. _Just like his mother._

Bokuto continued to hold on to Akaashi’s hands, likely without realizing it. “Hey, hey, do you wanna be a judge for the Ugly Sweater contest? My mom usually does it with me, but she’s too busy this year! She keeps shooing me away!” He deflated, saying this, looking rather depressed. Akaashi felt like he was staring at a kicked puppy, homeless on the side of the road.

“Uh, sure,” He answered, looking down at where their hands were clasped. He felt a blush creep up to his cheeks, but he willed it away.

Thankfully, Bokuto released his hands, opting to jump in the air and cheer. “Yes! Awesome! You’re a life-saver, Akaashi! You’re like an angel! C’mon, let’s go down to the basement so we can start judging the contest!”

-:-

Akaashi was sure he’d never seen so many ugly sweaters in his life. He’d also severely underestimated just how disgusting some sweaters could really look on people. There were the usual suspects, like Oikawa and Iwaizumi. Then, there were people who had gone the extra mile, like Sugawara and Kuroo. Yet, there were some that were truly atrocious: color combinations that were not meant to be seen with the naked eye, Akaashi decided, and in the beginning he was afraid that those would be serious contenders. However, after the first few contestants, Bokuto grabbed his arm and leveled him with a very serious look.

“Akaashi, this is very important,” He began. “There’s a serious criteria that we need to follow when we judge these sweaters. Super disgusting-looking sweaters don’t always get first place. We need ones with cute charm, lots of Christmas overload, but not attractive enough to be sold in stores.”

“That’s pretty specific, Bokuto-san.”

“But it _has_ to be, Akaashi! It’s a very significant prize! Only the best of the best of these sweaters deserves it!”

“What’s the prize?”

Bokuto looked sheepish. “Well. It’s a gift card for a local coffee shop,” He chuckled, but he was blushing. “But it’s for $25! I saved so much money for that gift card, Akaashi! And the second place prize is one for $15!”

Akaashi’s eyes widened. “Wow. That’s really thoughtful of you.”

“Aww, thanks, Akaashi! I do it every year. I just really love Christmas parties, and I love contests, and I love giving prizes! It makes me feel like a big authority!”

At this, he couldn’t help but laugh. “Right. I’m sure it feels great.”

As the next contestant was walking over, Bokuto beamed at him. “You’ve got a really cute laugh, Akaashi.”

This time, he blushed. He felt oddly comfortable, even though Bokuto was so shamelessly flirting with him. _Maybe he isn’t. Maybe he’s just being nice._ “Thanks.”

With that, they continued their judging until they’d exhausted every sweater at the party. Akaashi was exhausted and ready to never look at anything knitted ever again. Bokuto, however, seemed completely full of energy. Though Akaashi supposed that if you enjoyed something, it probably kept you at full or high energy for a long period of time. As Bokuto stood on stage, announcing the winner (Suga) and the runner-up (Kuroo), and he honestly looked like he was having the time of his life. In a sense, Akaashi envied him, though when he thought about it, he was having a good time, too. _For the first time in my life, I’m having a good time at a Christmas party._ He smiled softly at the thought.

The party continued without much else of note happening, though Bokuto dragged Akaashi around the entire party floor for the rest of the night. He was always going on to people about how Akaashi was his angel that fell from the sky to sit by him and oh, Akaashi was just so awesome for judging the contest with him, Akaashi would get a VIP invitation next year (they never made VIP invitations for their parties, Akaashi learned), and do you see how nice Akaashi looks?! The entire ordeal made Akaashi rather embarrassed, honestly. How did someone cling to another person so easily? _Maybe he picked up that you’re lonely._ Akaashi shook his head; Bokuto was just really nice.

In time, the partygoers began filing out. Sugawara caught up with Akaashi one more time, as Bokuto was saying goodbye to some family guests he had in the main hall of the house.

“Are you staying a little longer?” Sugawara asked, a playful smile on his lips.

“Um,” Akaashi wasn’t actually sure. As if Suga had asked the question to both of them, Bokuto looped an arm around Akaashi’s neck.

“Of course he is! I’ll walk him home, so you have a safe trip back home, Suga-san! Congrats on your big win today!” He gave Sugawara a thumbs up and a huge grin. Sugawara laughed, his own smile seeming like a dim light in comparison to the _brilliant sun_ that was Bokuto’s smile.

Akaashi couldn’t afford to keep having thoughts like this about a person he just met. _I don’t think I should be falling for anyone right now._

“I’ll be careful on my way home, then. You two had better be careful, too! Take care of him, Bokuto!” Sugawara waved, making his way down the steps and out to the street to begin his walk home. Bokuto released his hold on Akaashi’s shoulders, and Akaashi felt his body relax a little.

Bokuto rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry about that, Akaashi. I really got used to hangin’ out with you all night!”

“We just met, Bokuto-san.”

“Yeah, but it feels like I’ve known you forever!”

“But you barely know anything about me.”

“Well, maybe that’s why I kept you later than the rest of the party guests, Akaashi! Ever consider that, hmm?” He smiled, looking incredibly pleased with himself, as though he had unleashed some master plan. Akaashi had nothing to say to that, really. He hadn’t totally registered that there was a method to Bokuto’s dragging him around the party. “So, whaddya say, Akaashi? Let’s go get to know each other. I have somewhere I want to show you!”

“We _just met,_ Bokuto-san,” He repeated. _How could he have somewhere he wants to show me already?_ Bokuto had grabbed his arm, and was now leading him out the back door to the backyard, haphazardly tossing a coat and scarf at Akaashi and grabbing one for himself. Going with the flow, Akaashi put the coat on (far too large for him, as it was clearly one of Bokuto’s and not his own) and looping the scarf around his neck. Outside was incredibly cold, and the sky was clouded over. Akaashi could see his and Bokuto’s breaths coming out in puffs, and he shivered. Bokuto grabbed his hand and pulled him along his backyard, up a small hill overlooking the campus and surrounding town.

“I come up here to think a lot,” Bokuto said, looking out over the sparsely-lit town. If Akaashi hadn’t spent all night with him, he would have thought that Bokuto looked rather wistful. “I don’t usually bring anyone with me.”

“Because it’s too cold?”

“No! It’s… kind of a personal space for me.”

“So, why did you bring me along?”

Bokuto turned to him, looking a little dumbfounded. “Well, uh. You’re great?”

Akaashi said nothing, but just raised an eyebrow at him, silently urging him to continue. At this, Bokuto looked down, poking his fingers together.

“If I’m gonna be honest, Akaashi… You’re super pretty. I’d noticed you at the party before you walked over, and I had no idea who you were, but you looked… really lonely! I wanted to come and talk to you, but I was too afraid that I was seeing things, because I never saw anyone else talking to you! And when you came over to talk to me, well… it was pretty much a Christmas miracle! I wanted to have you with me all night, because…” He paused, looking back to the night sky. “I guess because it’s too sad to me to see someone alone at a Christmas party.”

Bokuto’s words were kind, but Akaashi wasn’t sure if they were flattering, or if they just made him feel kinda guilty. “Sounds like an inconvenience,” He murmured, looking down.

“No! Not at all!” Bokuto grabbed Akaashi’s shoulders, turning him so they faced each other. “Seriously! You made my party, Akaashi!” Bokuto stared at him with intense eyes, and Akaashi couldn’t look away. In the light of the night, they glinted, highlighting the bright gold color. Searching for any sign of dishonesty, Akaashi found nothing but pure honesty in his eyes. They remained like that for a moment, before Bokuto looked up suddenly, and gasped. “Akaashi, look!!”

Following his gaze, Akaashi looked upward to find nature at work: it had begun to snow. He shivered again, more fiercely this time. 

“It’s snowing.”

“No, Akaashi! Well, yeah, it is, but I mean, look up there!” Bokuto pointed, and this time Akaashi followed his finger, and he couldn’t believe what he saw. 

_Mistletoe. Of course._

He narrowed his eyes, sighing. “Seriously? How many people do you actually bring out here?”

Bokuto looked at him incredulously. “What? No, I swear, I didn’t set this up! I just wanted to show you this spot because I really like it out here! I don’t know who put the mistletoe there, honest. I’ve never–! I’ve never kissed anyone out here before, especially not after a Christmas party.”

Akaashi felt that blush creeping up his neck again, and he cursed it. _Why is he so nice? Why am I not running away right now?_

“Then, what should we do?” He asked warily. He swore he could feel the heat emanating off of Bokuto’s face at the question.

“We should do what everyone else does!” Bokuto reached out a hand, as if to cup Akaashi’s cheek, but paused halfway. “If you’re not bothered by that?”

“No, I’m. I’m okay with that,” He admitted, feeling his stomach twist. 

Bokuto’s hand found the rest of its way to Akaashi’s cheek, and his thumb caressed it gently. Akaashi stepped closer to Bokuto, not knowing where to put his hands exactly, but deciding to rest them on his chest. He looked up to Bokuto, half anticipation, half anxiety. Bokuto gave him a reassuring smile, and moved in to close the space between their lips.

When their lips met, Akaashi Keiji felt like he was _floating._ Someone who ran their mouth the way Bokuto did should not be allowed to be _this good_ at kissing. _He’s so surprisingly gentle._ He wrapped his arms around Bokuto’s neck, and pulled him a little closer, causing a noise to escape Bokuto’s throat. After that, they pulled away, eyes locked.

“Wow,” Bokuto breathed. “That was… wow, Akaashi.”

“Yeah. It was good.”

His eyebrows shot to the top of his forehead, his face breaking out into a grin. “You really think so?! I was too wrapped up in kissing you to really focus!”

Akaashi chuckled, and nodded. “I promise.”

They walked back to Bokuto’s house, and Akaashi exchanged the oversized coat and scarf for his own coat and hat. Bokuto remained in his cold weather attire, and they walked to the door together.

“It was nice meeting you, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi said, turning to walk out the door back to his flat.

“Hey, wait! Akaashi! I said I’d walk you home, didn’t I?”

Akaashi paused in his tracks. “Yes, I guess you did.”

“I’m gonna hold myself to my word, mind you!” With that, he strode up aside Akaashi and took his hand, and began walking. “So, where do you live?”

With time, they made it back to Akaashi’s flat, and had spoken of all kinds of subjects– what schools they attended, what they were studying, and before Akaashi knew it, they were back at his apartment, in front of the door.

“Thank you for walking me home, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi said, shuffling around his pockets for his keys.

Bokuto glanced off to the side, biting his lip and smiling a little. “No problem! Say, could I steal a goodnight kiss for good measure?”

Turning back to face him, Akaashi blinked, somehow still surprised at how forward Bokuto was. Mentally shrugging, he grabbed Bokuto’s coat and pulled him in for a long, deep kiss. Bokuto made a small, surprised noise when their lips came together, and Akaashi fought off a smile. Once they needed air, they begrudgingly separated from each other.

“So,” Bokuto spoke, breathless and smiling. “That was nice. Can I come back here and pick you up sometime for dinner?”

Akaashi smiled this time, genuinely, and nodded. “Yeah, I think I’d like that.”

_I think I'd like that a lot._

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year. If you're reading this and it's not Christmas, have a great and wonderful day, and I hope this made you smile a little.


End file.
